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A conference call orchestrated by Mel Martinez to discuss his opponent's "antifamily agenda" turned into a hard-right conservative smear job.
The knock on former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum among some Republicans is that he is too mean-spirited and too conservative to win in a Florida general election for U.S. Senate. But the contrast with former U.S. Housing Secretary Mel Martinez is becoming less apparent by the day. If a conference call Martinez orchestrated Tuesday is any indication, then Republicans may be choosing between nasty and nastier.
The Martinez call, which he left to his campaign staff, was billed as a review of McCollum's "antifamily agenda." The claim itself - that McCollum is antifamily because he supports stem cell research to find cures for deadly diseases - is shallow and insulting enough. But the conversation didn't end there.
The call featured hard-edged conservatives from such groups as the Campaign for Working Families, the Liberty Counsel, the Concerned Women for America PAC and the National Right to Life PAC. They lit into McCollum for having supported a hate crime bill that would have extended protections for victims on the basis of gender, disability and sexual orientation. And after speaking of their disdain for what they called the "gay agenda," they answered a reporter's question about gays working for the Martinez campaign with a smear of their own. McCollum, said Florida Family Focus director John Stemberger, employs a gay political consultant.
"Christian conservatives are growing increasingly frustrated with principle compromise among those who support their vote," Stemberger said, according to published reports. Martinez has been the target of McCollum's own witless attacks deeming Martinez unfit for office by virtue of his profession as a trial attorney. But the disgraceful intolerance on display in this conference call arranged by the Martinez campaign sank to depths that hadn't been seen in this or any other recent statewide race. Former Republican U.S. Sen. Connie Mack reacted by saying Martinez "has forfeited his ability to attract mainstream Democrats and independents in November." Mack may well be right.